Railway-track construction



Feb) 28,

H. ETHERIDGE RAILWAY TRACK CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 11. .1926

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 0 1 I r I 0 m t; 1 .1 Wm, 9 m w wry/'0 8 6 w A 2 J. .1 7 y 1 5 7 1 mwmnfl W am: 4 I: Em? B2 4 6 y 3 A TTORNEY.

Feb. 28, 1928.

H. ETHER!DGE RAILWAY TRACK CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 11. 1926 2 Sheets-Shea: 2

7 INVENTOR ATTORNEY I Patented Feb. 28, 1928.

HARRY ETHERIDGE, OF ZELIENOPLE BOROUGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-TRACK CONSTRUCTION;

Application filed November 11, 1926. Serial No. 147,634.

Particularly, my present invention relates to railway track construction which includes the use of individual rail supports which do not span the space between the parallel rails of the track nor support both of the. two parallel rails thereof, as do the cross-ties now in common use. a It is recognized in the railway track ar that many important advantages attend the substitution of individual rail supports for cross-ties, such, for instance, as the provision of more extended support for the rail to relieve it from bending stresses, but the tendency of the rail to tip and roll both 5 inwardly, toward the axis of the track, and

outwardly of the rail, which is characteristic also of rails supportedby cross-ties, appears in the use of individual rail supports. This tipping and rolling is 'due to the lateral shifting on the rails of the moving wheels.

Wereasimple beam or block placed under the rail and longitudinallythereof to obtain an extended bearing of the rall on the beam or block, the beam or block would not nest in the ballest nor'would the latter have any appreciable binding or anchor,- ing effect on the rail support, but the latter would quickly work loose in the ballast, under the influence of the moving. wheels,,and would thus afford an unsafe support for the rail.

While the tendency to tip and roll inwardly-that is toward the axis of the individual rail supports than the tendency to tip and roll in the opposite direction or outwardly, both tendencies exist and must be corrected to obtain a reliable support for the rail.

I have found, by long continued experiment and also from extensive experience in.

the problem thus presented, I have invented an individs ual rail support wherein the areas bearing on trackis more pronounced in the case of the ballast at the inside and at the outside of the rail are properly proportioned so as to stabilize the supportand topractically eliminate tipping and rolling in either direction.

In my improved individual rail support the bearing area at the inside of the rail is substantially twice that at the outside of the rail; and careful tests under standard railway track, conditions havefproven this improvement to be a solution of the problem.

My improved rail supports are preferably formed of relnforced concrete or like material, and if the supports bemadewith the inside and outside bearing areasofap'proxiportion of the, support disposed beneath and pensive to'manufacture commercially and of such mass and weight as to render its transportation and handling and its installation in and removalfrom the track impractical.

to mately the same width as the length of'the r To avoid these cardinal objections I form my improved individual rail supports of substantially cruciform shape, the longer member of the cross which may be termed the beam extending longitudinally ofand under the rail to provide the same with adequate under-support, while the two shorter memberswhich may be termed stabilizing legs extend from the center of the beam and at right angles thereto, andin alinement with each other.v I

The stabilizing leg which extends toward the axis of the track, and which maybe termed the inner stabilizing leg? has Substantially twice the bearing surface on'the ballast as hasthe v outer stabilizing." leg 1 which extends on the outer side of the rail,

and in thepreferred embodiment of my improved individual rail'support the two stabilizmg legs areiof substantially the same width, the inner stabilizing leg being sub;

stantially twice the length of the outer stabilizing leg. i I

.To improve the nesting of the supports in the ballast, the horizontal top edges of the support are beveled and the top surfaces of the two stabilizing legs are at alower level than that of the rail beam,

'When installed in a track, the-individual nected, for any connection or attachment between the opposite supports, either rigid,

supports of the opposite rails are uncon-- hinged or flexible, destroys the, balance between the stabilizing legs of the supports and renders the use of my improvedrail supports of little or no advantage over the use of the usual crossties.

I have also invented a new, and improved type of embedded metal reinforcement for my rail support, the same being of the general character of an open-work cruciform box-like skeleton.

,Other novel features of construction, and also of arrangement ofparts, will appear from thefo-llowing description.

In the accompanyingdrawings, wherein I have illustrated the best embodiment of the principles of'my invention now known to me, Fig. 1 is in part a top'plan view and in part a horizontal. section of one of the individual rail supports; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same looking from the inside of'the rail; Fig. 3 is a similar View of the reinforcing skeleton; Fig. 4 is acvertical section taken along the line IV IV in Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective of the metal skeletonyand Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the parallel rails of a track each railbeing'provided with an individual rail support and said supports being unconnected together. I

Referring to the drawings 1 and 1*(Fig.

'6) represent the parallel rails of a railway track, each supported from beneath by'the individual rail supports 2, said supports being unconnected with each other.

The supports are substantially cruciform, the longer leg 3 being the rail-supporting beam which extends longitudinally of the rail to provide an extended support for the same, whilethe two transverse legs 4 and 5 which extend inwardly toward the axis of "the track and outwardly away from said axis leg 5.

the ballast.

respectively, 'as shown in Fig. 6, are respectiv'ely the inner stabilizingleg and the outer Stabilizingleg. The inner stabilizing leg l'has approximatelytwice the area bearing on the road bed'as has-the outer stabilizing leg 5, and this proportion is preferably provided by making the legs 4 and 5 of'substa'ntially. the same width'but the leg 4 of substantially twiee th-e length of the The top surfaces of the legs land .5-are preferably at a lower level than that of the and the'top -edges of the support are preferably beveled, as

shown. Thusfthe support maybe more easily nestedin and "more securely anchored to The rail does not'rest'directly on thebeam 3 asthe result would be the direct transference of the jars and thrusts of traflic from the rail to the body of the support.

To prevent this, I provide the upper sur- 7 "face of the beam 3 with. a. sunken seat '6 of slightly greater width than the base of the railand extending along said beam to near each end thereof. In said seat I mount a cushion means which directly supports the rail. Said cushion means preferably comprises an under mat 7 which lies in the bottom of the seat 6 and an upper mat 8 which rests on the mat 7 and protrudes upwardly out of the seat. The mats are both preferably made of resilient material, such as rubber, asphalt composition and the like, or a combination thereof, the under mat being the more elasticwhile the upper mat is less elastic. The combined thickness of the mats is suificientto prevent the rail being dcpressed into direct contact with the beam 3.

Any convenient means may be. employed to'fasten the rail to the support. I prefer-to employ rail fastening means of the character described and shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,586,617 issued to me June 1, 19:26, and in the drawings I show the screw sockets 9' which are anchored and embedded in the material'of the rail support at either slde of the seat '6 and adjacent either end of said seat, the fastener bolts being-screwed down into said sockets as will 7 more clearly appear from said Letters Patent. 7

The character of metal reinforcement which I employ is shownassembled but unbars 11 are held in fixed spaced relation by the interposed post bars 13 whose ends are welded or otherwise secured to the bars 10 and .11. At the outer side of the bars 10 are bars 14 parallel therewith but shorter and 15 represents similar bars outsidethe bars 11. The adjacent upper and lower-bars 14: and 15 are held in fixed spaced relation by the post bars 16 interposed between them and welded or otherwisersecured thereto.

17 represents a pair of upper parallel bars which are disposed at rightangles tothe ltit) iii?) bars 10 and cross beneath the same as shown 7.

in Fig. 5.. 18 represents a pairof lower parallelbars, also parallel with the bars 17- which cross over the bars 11. The bars 17 are held in fixed spaced relation with each other bythe cross bars 19 whichare welded or otherwise secured'to the under sides of the bars 17 and the bars 18 are similarly held in fixed spaced; relation by the cross bars 20" which rest on thebottom surface of the bars 18. The bars'19 are welded or otherwise se;

cured to the bars'17and the barsQO are welded or otherwise secured to the bars 18.

The bars 17 and 18 are held in fixed spaced relation by the post bars 21 interposed between the same and welded or otherwise secured, thereto.

At their intersections the bars 17 are welded or otherwise secured to the bars 10 and 1 1, and likewise the bars 18 are welded or otherwise secured to the bars 11 and 15.

The sockets 9 are welded or otherwise secured to the bars 10 and also preferably to the end posts 13.

The upper bars 10 are positioned so as to extend longitudinally of the beam 3 beneath the seat 6 from end to end thereof and are close to the bottom of said seat so as to assume directly the jolts and thrusts of trafiic',

a slight covering only of concrete, say not more than a quarter of an inch to protect the metal from oxidizing, being provided for said bars.

The metal bars are welded or otherwise connected together to form the skeleton be fore it is embedded in the concrete in casting the latter and is of shape corresponding to that of the support but of less dimension so as to be embedded in the concrete mass.

The welding is illustrated at 22 in Figs. 3 .and 5.

It is apparent that by means of my improved metal reinforcing skeleton a rail support of relatively small dimensions and comprising a minimum mass of concrete may be employed without sacrificing either strength or durability in the support or efficiency in its functioning. I

By the use of my improved rail support the tendency to tip or rock either inwardly or outwardly is corrected and .a firm and stable support for the rails is provided.

It will be noted that owing to the positionings of the bars 10 beneath and longitudinally of the seat 6 and close to the bottom thereof the metal reinforcement relieves the concrete of the severe strains and jars of passing trafi'ic, thus preventing any possibility of crushing, rupturing or cracking of the concrete. It is further evident that the attachment oft-he fastener sockets 9 directly to the metal reinforcing skeleton aids materially in the protection of the concrete mass from the effect of the trafic which otherwise would prove injurious thereto.

I have found these individual rail supports in actual railway use much superior to j ballast at one side of the rail supportingportion of substantially twice the area of the corresponding bearing surface on the other side of the rail supporting portion, said support having embedded therein metal bars assembled together to form a frame of a shape corresponding to that of the block but of less dimensions. a

'2. An individual support for railway rails comprising a reinforced concrete block of substantially cruciform shape comprising an extended beam portion supporting the rail from beneath .and alined stabilizing legs ex tending transversely of the planeof the rail, the leg extending inwardly of the beam por-.

tion havingsubstantially twice thebearing I area on the ballast as has the outwardly extending leg, said support having embedded therein a skeleton box of cruciform shape formed of metal bars assembled in fixed relation to each other. i

3. An individual support for railway rails comprising a reinforced concrete block of substantially cruciform shape comprising an extended beam portion supporting the rail from beneath and alined stabilizing legs extending transversely of the plane of the rail, the leg extending inwardly of the beam por tion having substantially twice the bearing area on the ballast as has the outwardly extending leg, said support having embedded therein a skeleton box composed of metal bars welded together.

Signed .at Zelienople, Pa, this 4th day of November, 1926.

HARRY ETHERIDGE. 

